On Saturday, May 11, England fast bowler James Anderson confirmed that he would be retiring from the sport after England's first Test against West Indies this summer, at the iconic Lord's cricket ground. Now 42 years of age, Anderson's retirement has been on the cards for a while now but many had thought he would choose to play his last match at his home ground of Old Trafford in Manchester.
Bet here on IPL 2024 and other cricket matches!
Anderson was reportedly called upon by England coach Brendon McCullum, who outlined that the team management was looking to plan for the future and that Anderson may not be selected down the line, effectively forcing the pacer to retire.
Here, TSN looks at other prominent names who were forced, directly or indirectly, into retirement.
When legendary cricketers were asked to retire: List of players who were forced to announce retirement
Sachin Tendulkar
After India's victorious 2011 World Cup campaign, the Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar was set to be dropped from India's ODI squad for the home series against England and Pakistan. Former chief selector Sandeep Patil confirmed in 2016 that this was indeed the case, and that the selection committee called Tendulkar to ask him about his plans for the format.
10 days after the meeting, Tendulkar himself announced his retirement from white-ball internationals, "perhaps because Sachin understood what was coming," according to Patil.
Sourav Ganguly
In the mid-2000s, the frayed relationship between Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and coach Greg Chappell was in the public eye for all to see, with the left-hander citing the constant need to prove himself as the reason for his retirement from Test cricket in 2008.
Ganguly said in 2017, "I retired because at some point you've had enough. The reason is not because you have had enough of playing the sport but because you've had enough of getting selected all the time."
Neil Wagner
The most recent retirement on this list is that of New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner, who hung up his boots earlier this year. He was not selected for the Kiwis' home series against Australia, and Kiwi great Ross Taylor has since claimed that the decision was forced upon Wagner.
On ESPN's Around The Wicket podcast, Taylor said, "I think it's a forced retirement. If you listen to Wagner's press conference, he was retiring, but it was after this last Test match [against Australia]. So he did make himself available."
New Zealand Test captain Kane Williamson has vehemently denied that any of this is the case, but the debate continues to rage on.
MORE: Five overseas players to watch out for in IPL 2024
Mashrafe Mortaza
A veteran of nearly 300 international matches for Bangladesh, former bowling all-rounder and captain Mashrafe Mortaza claimed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board had not shown professionalism in the way that they had dealt with him.
Speaking in 2021, he said, "When I was left out of the [national team] squad, I immediately knew that the chances of making a comeback are meagre. On top of that, I am 38 now. I said that I would continue to play domestic cricket as I love the game. I am just pointing out what professionalism is. The board hasn’t shown it."
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Perhaps the best West Indian Test batter of the modern era with nearly 12000 runs to his name, Shivnarine Chanderpaul retired from the red-ball game in 2016 at the age of 41. However, he claimed he was pushed out by the West Indies Cricket Board, who reportedly refused to give him a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the Masters Champions League T20 competition, unless he retired.
After retirement, he opened up, saying, "I wanted one last opportunity to play against Australia before signing off, but can't do anything about it. Just want to put that behind me. I got the NOC to play in Master Champions League after retiring from international cricket. Having played for so long, I feel I should have been treated well. If a player (like me) is treated like that, then think how the younger generation will be treated."
MORE: Who hit the longest six in IPL 2024?
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >